Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Beauty in the Air: the Balcony

Dear You,
Our balcony is very beautiful at the moment. The roses are in full bloom, pansies are still fine, and one can even find a few clematis blossoms (I wasn't as lucky as last year, when I had over 20 flowers on one of the two clematis). The wine makes me a bit anxious - fewer leaves than usual, and no flowering for grapes to see. Husband is anxious too: he almost can't find a place for his cup of coffee.

The voice of an acquaitance became agitated, when she told me about a friend of her: "Can you imagine? She has 40 pots on her balcony - forty!" .
I went home and counted mine: 60. Oh. Yet the best is still to come: the buds of the lilies are almost bursting. (The first photo is the only one from last year's balcony - the New Dawn rose now creeps over the railing of the balcony and looks down on the street - a helicopter plant). ).

I'm especially proud of this pelargonium - I got it from the Royal Court gardener of Schloss Charlottenburg. (Of course that's not his title - but the Schloss is still a castle).

I love to potter and putter around. First thing in the morning is a step on my balcony:

Dear Rosemary, thank you! No, we have two seats - and even a very long but small French iron table (I saw it in a shopwindow of the KaDeWe - and used a lot of persuavisness to buy it from the decorator). There is even a place for two guests - though I have 2 tiny maples, 1 tiny willow, 2 buxes and a tiny crab-apple and mahonia next to all the little flowers and quite balcony-big rosebushes. We were so happy to get a long generous balcony.

Absolutely wonderful dear Britta. I shall never forget that you "Do it for the Bees" I know the therapeutic nature of plants and gardening too well to see the joy you must get from attending to your 60 children. Its going to be a beautiful year in the Huegel sky garden!

Dear Paul, thank you! The difference to a garden is that I miss knowing in advance what will come again in a special garden spot - and yet be surprised. On a balcony are more bought plants (though I am waiting for my hand-sown sweet peas). To have a bit fun of plants growing over the years I bought those tiny trees (no bonsais). The picture of "Hill's sky gardens" I like immensely.

Lovely, Britta: 60 pots is quite a feat. No wonder, then, that "Husband is anxious too: he almost can't find a place for his cup of coffee." Had a nice laugh at the way you slipped that in! Oh, and PS: it turns out that the Bard Conservatory Orchestra is coming to Berlin later this month. The program will be (I think, but I'll send you details on Facebook) Copland and his world.

Dear Sue, thank you - I too was surprised... Some pots (for the wine and the roses) are quite big, others (for sweet violets etc) quite small. I published on Facebook the link to the Bard Conservatory Orchestra - it will be a treat.

Your flowers look absolutely gorgeous. Sixty pots sounds just about perfect. Must take a while to water them all, though. Sitting on your balcony surrounded by all of them must make you feel very good. Lovely to look at, lovely to smell. Tell your hubby if it gets to the point he can no longer find a place to set his coffee cup, he can jolly well hold it on his lap!

Dear Stephanie, thank you! Well - it allures a few bees, yes - especially the lavendula and the oleander..If you are allergic (I am, the doctor told me) you have to be careful. But on the second floor, where our balcony is, there are fewer than in a garden.

Oh your balcony is just heaven!! Your photos are so beautiful! The first and fourth photos are especially stunning. I'm now thinking of getting a new camera because my Olympus is quite old and my Nikon is too heavy for me.....

Dear Sapphire, thank you! I am very content with my camera - she is also quite strong in less good illuminated places, when museums don't allow a flash. But honestly: your photographs are always so wonderful and stunning, I cannot see why you need a new one (except weight of the camera maybe).